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Rays ALDS Game Three pregame notes

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  • The Rays grounds crew prepared the turf for game three, and hopefully game four, of the ALDS on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

On Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays will take the field in their first home playoff game in six years while also trying to keep their impressive season alive. The Rays have dropped the first two contests in the best-of-five American League Division Series to the Astros, 6-2 and 3-1, in Houston.

More than 30,000 fans are expected Monday, as the upper deck will be opened for this ballgame, and for Tuesday’s game, should Tampa Bay win this afternoon. For what it’s worth, Tampa Bay ended the regular season by winning 15 of 17 games at the Trop.

Rays skipper Kevin Cash said he doesn’t plan on changing the lineup significantly today, even though Zack Greinke — whom Astros skipper A.J. Hinch is fully confident in — will be on the mound. Houston is 8-2 in games Greinke has started, which includes a 9-8 loss to the Rays at the end of August.

The New What Next

Charlie Morton (16-6, 3.05 ERA), the winning pitcher in the AL Wildcard game, will get the start for the Rays, pitching opposite of Zack Greinke (8-1, 3.02 ERA with Houston, 18-5, 2.93 ERA overall).

Charlie Morton gave up one run (unearned) on five hits and three walks while striking out four across innings to earn the win over the Athletics on Wednesday. Morton threw 94 pitches (56 strikes, 60% strike rate). Morton battled the Athletics but made the important big pitch when necessary, consequently coaxing a pair of inning-ending double plays to shut down the powerful Oakland lineup. Morton is 4-6 with a 6.28 ERA in 11 career starts against his former team, and 3-2 with a 3.96 ERA in seven career postseason starts.

Morton spoke yesterday about facing his former teammates:

We got our backs to the wall a little bit here. So for me to get the opportunity to go out and try to get some quality innings, give our team a chance to win, yeah, I mean, these games are special when a lot’s on the line.

Probably some of the more memorable moments in baseball I’ll ever have are games I’ve pitched in the playoffs. This is a great opportunity for us, show what we’re made of, go out there against a big challenge here and see what we got.

— Charlie Morton

Zack Greinke gave up two hits and one walk while striking out nine through 8-1/3 scoreless innings against the Mariners on Wednesday. Greinke took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning before he allowed two singles to end his night. Greinke was dominant, registering 20 swinging strikes without allowing a three-ball count until the fifth inning. Greinke finished the regular season with a 2.93 ERA and 187 strikeouts over 208-2/3 innings. The right-hander is 4-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 14 career starts against Tampa Bay, and 0-0 with a 7.94 ERA in one outing against this season. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-2, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (3-7, HR, 3 RBI), Yandy Diaz (1-3)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Astros — an ALDS preview

Rays ALDS Game Three Starting Lineup

  1. Diaz 3B
  2. Meadows LF
  3. Pham DH
  4. Choi 1B
  5. Garcia RF
  6. Lowe 2B
  7. d’Arnaud C
  8. Kiermaier CF
  9. Adames SS

Noteworthiness

— Oh, the memories. Let’s make some new memories today!

— Saturday night was fun even though the outcome was less so. Than you Tampa Bay Rays for putting together such a fun event!

— In the words of Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), of the 50 teams that lost the first two games of a best-of-five postseason series on the road, only seven came back to win the series, most recently the 2017 Yankees against Cleveland.

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Rays ALDS game two pregame notes

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Al Lang Stadium, site of Saturday night’s ALDS watch party. (Photo Credit: X-Rays Spex)

After a 6-2 loss in the opening game of the American League Division Series, the Tampa Bay Rays look to even the best-of-five-set against the Houston Astros. The Rays will head home tonight after the game.

Suffice it to say, in order for the Rays to defeat Houston with Gerrit Cole on the bump, they will need to play a cleaner game tonight. Tampa Bay walked five batters yesterday and committed a key error in the fifth inning when, against Chaz Roe, Yuli Gurriel popped up toward shallow right field. Brandon Lowe, Austin Meadows, and Ji-Man Choi came together, yet the ball glanced off Lowe’s glove — on a ball that appeared to be an easier play for Meadows coming in — allowing two runs to score on the costly gaffe.

The New What Next

Blake Snell (6-8, 4.29 ERA) will get the start for the Rays, pitching opposite of Gerrit Cole (Gerrit Cole (20-5, 2.50 ERA).

Blake Snell allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four over 2-1/3 innings against the Blue Jays on Sunday. Snell allowed both runs in the first inning but recovered to deliver 1-1/3 scoreless frames before his exit after 62 pitches (37 strikes, 60% strike rate). Snell continued to be on a limited pitch count, although he threw his longest outing since his return from the IL. The southpaw finished the regular season with a 4.29 ERA and 147 strikeouts through 107 innings. Snell is 2-2 with a 4.73 ERA in six career starts against Houston.

Snell hopes to go five strong innings. The Rays are expected to rely heavily on the bullpen tonight, and they will have plenty of options available, including Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough.

Gerrit Cole allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out 10 over five innings against the Angels on Sunday. Cole registered 20 swinging strikes and 14 called strikes on only 92 pitches in the win. It has been a great run for Cole, as he ended the season as the first pitcher in big-league history to record nine consecutive double-digit strikeout games. The 29-year-old finished the regular season with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts across 212-1/3 innings. Cole is 0-2 with a 3.51 ERA in four career starts against the Rays, and 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA in two starts against this season. Key Matchups: Jesus Aguilar (3-8, 2 RBI, BB), Ji-Man Choi (2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (4-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Yandy Diaz (2-3, HR, RBI), Tommy Pham (9-18, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Daniel Robertson (2-6), Joey Wendle (3-7, 3B, 3 RBI)

You can read about the series in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs Astros — an ALDS preview

Rays ALDS Game Two Lineup

  1. Diaz 3B
  2. Meadows LF
  3. Pham DH
  4. Choi 1B
  5. Garcia RF
  6. B. Lowe 2B
  7. d’Arnaud C
  8. Kiermaier CF
  9. Adames SS

Noteworthiness

— Avisail Garcia is expected to be back in the starting lineup for Tampa Bay tonight.

— Remember, head to either Al Lang Stadium (in downtown St. Petersburg), or Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park (in Tampa) for the official team watch parties. The first pitch is set for 9:10.

Personally, I’ll be getting Rowdy at Al Lang Stadium (cough, location of the future home of the Tampa Bay Rays), although I hope to see evidence of lots of fans across the Bay Area!

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TNWN: Rays vs Astros — an ALDS preview

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  • Matt Duffy and the Rays got in some practice at Minute Maid Park on Thursday. (Photo Credit: Tampa Bay Rays)

After slugging their way to a 5-1 win over the Oakland Athletics in the American League Wildcard game on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Rays made their way to Houston, where they will begin the best of five AL Division Series against the Astros on Friday. The Astros took three of four from the Angels this past weekend.

(Stats Credit: ESPN)

On paper, Tampa Bay might be the AL team that best matches up against Houston. The Rays pitching staff is very good, while the platoon-heavy lineup is deep and ready to take the field — or step into the batter’s box — at any given moment.

What became evident leading up to the postseason (and into the Wildcard game) the Rays will likely have an all hands on deck approach out of the ‘pen against Houston. Tampa Bay used just three relievers Wednesday, so the bullpen should be well rested to start the series.

The Rays have gotten healthy at the right time, and they got another reinforcement Friday, as Eric Sogard (bone bruise), was added to the ALDS 25-man roster. Sogard has been on the shelf since September 15, and he took a significant step forward over the past few days. In a series that will feature a lot of right-handed pitching, Sogard could augment Tampa Bay’s lineup.

Still, Houston has one of the best lineups in baseball, so that paired with their dominant starting rotation gives the Astros an edge over pretty much every team in the league. However, the Rays are playing with a chip on their shoulders and will be a handful in this series.

(Stats Credit: FanGraphs)

Tampa Bay took four of seven from Houston in the season series, however, the Astros outscored the Rays 40-27 (-13 run differential).

Pitching Probables

Over the first three games, Kevin Cash will throw Tyler Glasnow (6-1, 1.78 ERA), Blake Snell (6-8, 4.29 ERA), and Charlie Morton (16-6, 3.05 ERA). A.J. Hinch will counter with Justin Verlander (21-6, 2.58 ERA), Gerrit Cole (20-5, 2.50 ERA), and Zack Greinke (8-1, 3.02 ERA). Cash and Hinch are likely to lean on the same hurlers should series go past the first three games.

Tyler Glasnow surrendered two walks and fanned four across 4-1/3 scoreless frames on Friday against Toronto. Glasnow exited the game with a three-run lead, as the Rays went on to clinch a postseason berth with a 6-2 win. The 26-year-old right-hander has been excellent on the hill of late, as he’s now tossed 10-1/3 scoreless innings over his last three turns. Glasnow enters postseason play with a 1.78 ERA, an 0.89 WHIP, and a 5.43 K/BB over 60-2/3 innings this season. He is 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA in one career start against Houston.

Justin Verlander allowed three runs on four hits while fanning 12 over six innings against the Angels on Saturday. He did not give up a walk. With his fourth-inning strikeout of Kole Calhoun, Verlander became just the 18th pitcher in big-league history to record 3,000 strikeouts. He also reached 300 strikeouts in a single season for the first time in his illustrious career. Verlander is 10-4 with a 3.17 ERA in 20 career starts against Tampa Bay. Key Matchups: Travis d’Arnaud (1-2), Yandy Diaz (2-4, 2B, BB), Matt Duffy (4-8), Tommy Pham (3-6, 2 2B), Joey Wendle (3-8, 2B, RBI)

Blake Snell allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four over 2-1/3 innings against the Blue Jays on Sunday. Snell allowed both runs in the first inning but recovered to deliver 1-1/3 scoreless frames before his exit after 62 pitches (37 strikes, 60% strike rate). Snell continued to be on a limited pitch count, although he threw his longest outing since his return from the IL. The southpaw finished the regular season with a 4.29 ERA and 147 strikeouts through 107 innings. Snell is 2-2 with a 4.73 ERA in six career starts against Houston.

Gerrit Cole allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out 10 over five innings against the Angels on Sunday. Cole registered 20 swinging strikes and 14 called strikes on only 92 pitches in the win. It has been a great run for Cole, as he ended the season as the first pitcher in big-league history to record nine consecutive double-digit strikeout games. The 29-year-old finished the regular season with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts across 212-1/3 innings. Cole is 0-2 with a 3.51 ERA in four career starts against the Rays, and 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA in two starts against this season. Key Matchups: Jesus Aguilar (3-8, 2 RBI, BB), Ji-Man Choi (2B, HR, 4 RBI, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (4-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Yandy Diaz (2-3, HR, RBI), Tommy Pham (9-18, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI), Daniel Robertson (2-6), Joey Wendle (3-7, 3B, 3 RBI)

Charlie Morton gave up one run (unearned) on five hits and three walks while striking out four across innings to earn the win over the Athletics on Wednesday. Morton threw 94 pitches (56 strikes, 60% strike rate). Morton battled the Athletics but made the important big pitch when necessary, consequently coaxing a pair of inning-ending double plays to shut down the powerful Oakland lineup. Morton is 4-6 with a 6.28 ERA in 11 career starts against his former team, and 3-2 with a 3.96 ERA in seven career postseason starts.

Zack Greinke gave up two hits and one walk while striking out nine through 8-1/3 scoreless innings against the Mariners on Wednesday. Greinke took a no-hit bid into the ninth inning before he allowed two singles to end his night. Greinke was dominant, registering 20 swinging strikes without allowing a three-ball count until the fifth inning. Greinke finished the regular season with a 2.93 ERA and 187 strikeouts over 208-2/3 innings. The right-hander is 4-6 with a 3.36 ERA in 14 career starts against Tampa Bay, and 0-0 with a 7.94 ERA in one outing against this season. Key Matchups: Ji-Man Choi (1-2, BB), Travis d’Arnaud (3-7, HR, 3 RBI), Yandy Diaz (1-3)

Noteworthiness

— The Rays set the ALDS 25-man roster (below) boasting 12 pitchers and the return of Sogard.

(Photo Credit: Neil Solondz/Rays Radio)

— On Friday, the Rays announced their official team watch parties. You can watch this weekend’s ballgames at a few different locations on both sides of the bay. On Friday at 2:00, Parks and Rec and the Avenue, situated next to one another in downtown St. Pete, will get the ball rolling. Then on Saturday, head to either Al Lang Stadium (in St. Pete), and Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park (in Tampa); first pitch is set for 9:10. Personally, I’ll be getting Rowdy at Al Lang, but I hope to see evidence of packed houses across the Bay Area!

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Rays get wild in Oakland and defeat the Athletics, 5-1

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  • 25 guys ultimately silenced 54,000+ fans on Wednesday night, when the Rays defeated the Athletics, 5-1, in the AL Wildcard game.

Yandy Diaz hit a pair of homers Wednesday night in Oakland en route to the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 defeat of the Oakland Athletics in the AL Wildcard game. The Rays have won all three Wildcard games in team history and are headed to the ALDS.

After playing in just one game after a two-month stay in the Injured List because of a fractured foot, Diaz homered in his first two postseason plate appearances — the fifth multi-home run postseason effort in franchise history.

In the first at-bat of the game, Diaz worked a 3-1 count against Sean Manaea before he lined his first homer over the wall in right-center.

Then in the second inning, Matt Duffy beat out an infield single into the hole at short before Avisail Garcia hit a two-run blast to center field for an early three-run lead.

Diaz chased Manaea in the third inning with his second long ball of the game. Prior to Wednesday, the left-handed Manaea hadn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his previous five starts.

Meanwhile, Charlie Morton battled against Oakland. The right-hander withstood a 32-pitch, two-walk first inning by coaxing a fly-ball out from Jurickson Profar, ending the threat.

Then in the second inning, Morton was able to escape a one-out situation by forcing Sean Murphy to ground into a 5-4-3 double play.

Yet, Oakland got on the board in the third inning when Marcus Semien reached on a three-base throwing error by Mike Brosseau at third. Ramon Laureano lifted a sacrifice fly to right, which cut into the Rays lead.

But, Tampa Bay answered two innings later against Yusmeiro Petit. In his second at-bat against Petit, Tommy Pham drilled a line-drive home run to left-center, extending the lead once again to a slam.

And while he didn’t have his best stuff, Morton still made big pitches in the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, with runners on the corners and two out, Charlie got Semien to ground out to end the threat.

Then in his final frame of work, Morton got Matt Olson to ground into an inning-ending 4-5-3 double play, solidifying a victory in Morton’s first postseason outing of 2019.

From there, Kevin Cash leaned on the Rays a-bullpen. The Rays skipper first called upon Diego Castillo, who worked around a Jurickson Profar single. Then in the seventh, Castillo allowed just a two-out bloop hit to Ramon Laureano, but got through the frame largely unscathed.

All told, Castillo struck out three across a pair of scoreless frames and allowed just two hits.

Nick Anderson took over in the eighth inning and allowed a shift beating single before he came back with a triplet of strikeouts to end the frame. Anderson dropped in curveballs at the top of the zone and enticed hitters with 98 above the zone. With the hitters expecting to see more pitches up, Anderson moved the ball around the bottom of the zone and Oakland’s hitters couldn’t resist swinging through them, much to their chagrin. The right-hander struck out four batters across 1-1/3 innings.

Finally, Emilio Pagan entered the game tasked with getting the final two outs. The former Athletic coaxed an easy ground out before he got Semien to swing through a 1-2 fastball to end the game.

Rays win, 5-1, and not even Stu Sternberg’s stupid antics — getting Stephen Bronfman and his partners to attend the game — can bring me down. Brong on Houston!

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Rays, AL Wildcard pregame notes

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Let’s get wild!
After a raucous come from behind win to start the 2019 postseason last night, the Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics are set to face one another tonight in what promises to be a rowdy affair in front of 50,000 plus fans. The winner of the AL Wildcard game will advance to meet Houston on Friday in the ALDS.

Charlie Morton (16-6, 3.05 ERA) will get the start for the Rays, pitching opposite of Sean Manaea (4-0, 1.21 ERA)

Kevin Cash set the AL Wildcard roster earlier today which boasts 10 hurlers and 10 right-handed position players. The roster is below.

Pitchers (10): Nick Anderson, Diego Castillo, Oliver Drake, Tyler Glasnow, Charlie Morton, Emilio Pagan, Colin Poche, Chaz Roe, Blake Snell, Ryan Yarbrough.

Catchers (2): Travis d’Arnaud, Mike Zunino

Infielders (9): Willy Adames, Jesus Aguilar, Mike Brosseau, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz, Matt Duffy, Brandon Lowe, Daniel Robertson, Joey Wendle

Outfielders (4): Avisail Garcia, Kevin Kiermaier, Austin Meadows, Tommy Pham

The New What Next

Morton vs. Manaea. This promises to be a marque match-up.

Charlie Morton allowed one hit and three walks across six scoreless frames while striking out nine Yankees on Wednesday. The hit — a two-out single by DJ LeMahieu in the sixth inning — was the only one given up by the Rays staff on the night. Morton ended the regular season with career-best performances across the board: a 3.05 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and a 4.21 K/BB over 194-2/3 innings. Over his career against Oakland, Morton is 2-1 with a 2.97 ERA in seven starts (39-1/3 innings). He is 0-1 with a 1.65 ERA in three career starts at Oakland Coliseum.

Sean Manaea gave up one run on four hits and no walks while striking out five across six innings in his last start. The left-hander was in complete control throughout, tossing 54 of 82 pitches for strikes (66% strike rate). Manaea has won each of his last four outings and carries a pristine 1.21 ERA and 0.78 WHIP across five starts into the postseason. The left-hander relies primarily on a whiffy 90 mph four-seam fastball with heavy sinking action and an 80 mph worm-killer slider with 12-6 movement, while also mixing in an 81 mph changeup that dives down out of the zone. He is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three career starts against Tampa Bay (20 innings). Key Matchups: Travis d’Arnaud (2-2, RBI), Avisail Garcia (1-3), Guillermo Heredia (5-20, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 BB), Kevin Kiermaier (1-3)

You can read about the WC game in our preview, while the starting lineup and Noteworthiness are below.

TNWN: Rays vs. Athletics — an AL Wildcard preview

Rays WC Game Starting Lineup

  1. Diaz 1B
  2. Pham DH
  3. Meadows LF
  4. d’Arnaud C
  5. Duffy 3B
  6. Garcia RF
  7. Adames SS
  8. Kiermaier CF
  9. Brosseau 2B

Noteworthiness

— Looking for somewhere to watch the ballgame? Join us at Old Northeast Tavern! You can find out more information below.

— I wrote this earlier, but it bears mentioning again.

Stu didn’t push for any team signage around St. Petersburg (unlike the Bucs (pictured above is an example of the Bucs presence around the city), nor did he or the Rays set up any official watch parties akin to Jeff Vinic’s Lightning postseason bashes outside of Amalie Arena.

Adding insult to injury, according to Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times), he secured tickets for Stephen Bronfman at the game itself, in Oakland. There is no word whether he extended a similar invitation to any Pinellas or Hillsborough County officials. What a piece of work!

I get it, he’s publicly flirting with Bronfman in order to strike panic in St. Petersburg city officials. And this is the type of attention he is seeking, so I played right into the hands of the liberal version of Donald Trump. But still, now is neither the time nor the place.

I love this team and will support them, but seriously, fuck Stu Sternberg.

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